With a Shriek and a Smile
by Firefly Fairy In A Bottle
Summary: When the Terrios and Nevlas are out of town, Sunil and Vinnie are left own their own - which naturally means staying at the pet shop overnight. Vinnie has something he's been meaning to tell Sunil for a while, but with terrifying monster movies and meddling hedgehogs, will he ever spit it out? VinnieSunil.


The Terrios and the Nevlas had always been particularly close, even for Littlest Pet Shop's standards. The families of all the regular day-camp pets were friendly with one another, but the Terrios and the Nevlas were on a completely different level. The two families had been neighbors since their children were young, so their friendship was hardly surprising.

However, Mrs. Twombly may have underestimated their closeness.

"Oh, Mrs. Twombly, you have no idea how much this would _mean_ to us!" Mrs. Terrio exclaimed, holding a hand close to her heart. The mothers of both families had stopped by precisely five minutes ago. More than likely, it was going to take at least ten more minutes to discuss the situation at hand.

"Well, now, I'm not sure –"

It didn't take long for Mrs. Nevla to cut in, eyes narrowed. "It will only be two days. Goodness, you act like we're leaving for a month!"

"Oh no, it's not like _that_." Absentmindedly, Mrs. Twombly ran a finger over the cash register keys. "I'm just not sure I'll be able to look after them overnight. I don't live at the pet shop, you know." It was a phrase she normally used as a joke, but this conversation had twisted it around; given it a whole new meaning.

"Oh, we know! It's just that we have an . . . an . . . en-enra—"

"_Engagement_, Millie," Mrs. Nevla finished, hardly batting an eye. She turned to Mrs. Twombly, speaking with pristine clearness. "We have reservations at a rather lovely resort, wherein there are strictly no pets allowed."

"I understand perfectly, but—"

"Mrs. Twombly!"

All heads turned to the front door, where Blythe approached the trio eagerly, design book clutched tightly to her chest. Upon reaching the front counter, she set the sketchbook down, sliding it closer to Mrs. Twombly. "I've got some new designs I'm really excited about. Like to take a look?" Suddenly her gaze drifted, and she took note of the two women beside her. "Oh!" She turned to the mothers, putting on her best smile. "Hi Mrs. Nevla, Mrs. Terrio. How are you?"

"Not very well, I might say."

Blythe frowned. This _didn't_ sound good. "Why's that?"

Mrs. Nevla gave the counter a mildly irritated glance before addressing Blythe. "The Terrios, along with my own family, will be spending our time at a resort this weekend."

"Oh, that's great. So what's got you in such a bad mood?"

Mrs. Nevla let out the smallest of sighs, massaging her forehead. After a moment of silence, she looked towards Mrs. Terrio, who gave her a confused look in return. The dark haired woman held back a groan. "Why don't _you_ explain it, Millie?"

"Oh, alright!" Mrs. Terrio turned towards Blythe, smiling brightly. "Well, you see, the resort doesn't allow pets. We were hoping Vinnie and Sunil could stay here overnight, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen."

Blythe blinked. The solution to this problem seemed simple enough. "Well, if you want, I can check up on them overnight." When she saw the pair of mothers giving her unsure looks, she added, "I live right upstairs, and I don't mind. I really love the pets."

Mrs. Nevla and Mrs. Terrio shared a look of delight, before turning to Mrs. Twombly, expectantly.

"Well . . . If you're sure, Blythe . . . I just don't want to inconvenience you . . ."

Blythe shook her head, grinning. "Nah! It's totally cool! You can count on me, Mrs. T!"

The young brunette didn't expect to be swarmed with an overwhelming plethora of _"thank you"_s.

~x~x~x~x~x~

"Two whole _days_, you say?" Zoe Trent was currently relaxing in a rather cozy dog bed near the corner of the day-camp area. She pawed at the indigo fabric, struggling to find a comfortable position. Announcements always made her uneasy.

"And nights," Vinnie added, holding an inflatable ball in his thin arms. He heaved it upwards, making it fly through the air. Sunil caught it with absolute ease, giving Vinnie a small grin as he held it up.

Zoe frowned, out of concern more than anything else. "_My_ owners would have left me with a relative, or a close family friend."

"Our owners are not _your_ owners, Zoe," called Sunil from a few feet away. "We do not get the fancy collars and the pampered puppy life, in case you have not noticed."

"Oh, well, I didn't _mean_—"

"'Sides," Vinnie cut in, breaking off the bubbling beginning of an argument, "if I'm outta town, I stay at Sunil's. But his owners're gonna be gone, too. That's why we're staying at the pet shop."

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel gave a light nod. "I see." She gave a brief pause as the boys continued on with their game of catch. "Now, what does this mean, exactly?" she asked as the ball soared through the air, landing in Vinnie's small hands once more.

"It _means_ that we will be staying here overnight," said Sunil, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "What is there that you do not get?"

"It's just—" she hesitated, "—are you sure the two of you will be alright? I mean, I know you have Blythe, but . . . "

"Re_lax_, Zoe, we're gonna be _fine._" Without thought, Vinnie launched the ball across the room again, and—

_POP!_

All three pets—mongoose, dog, and gecko—turned towards the source of the sound, already knowing full well what had happened.

"Vi-_nniiiie_!"

"Sorry, Russell!"

~x~x~x~x~x~

Russell scowled, picking the last shred of rubber out of his spines. This wasn't the first time this had happened. No, it had happened a near countless number of times, but that still didn't make it any less _aggravating_.

_Note to self- Vinnie needs to pay attention to his surroundings every so often._

Tossing the scrap into a nearby waste can, Russell brought an instinctive paw to his spines, flattening them back down to their usual neat-and-tidy state. That is, as neat and tidy as a hedgehog can get.

"Russell! You'll never _guess_!"

Russell shrieked, the sound muffled by his hands, which had fortunately found their way to his mouth. Turning on his heel, he narrowed his eyes at the intruder. "Min_ka_! You _scared_ me!"

Minka just grinned. "Sorry, Russell! It's just that I'm really excited because I _just_ found something out and I _really_ wanted to tell you, 'cause it's _definitely_ the kinda thing you'd care about and—"

"I _get it_, Minka!" Minka's little pink mouth closed on command, and Russell blinked. He was always surprised to remember that shutting off the blabber box was so easy. "Just . . . what is it?"

Minka's smile returned, as bright as ever. "Vinnie and Sunil are staying the night here, _and_ the next!"

She didn't get the chance to say much else, as Russell let out a gasp that would make both fore-mentioned pets heavily question his masculinity. "Really?" he managed to squeak out, eyes shining.

Minka nodded, her head bobbing up and down rapidly. "_Really_ really!"

Russell placed his paws over his mouth again, trying to contain the squeal that was attempting to rise up from the bottom of his throat. He had to stay composed, even when dealing with such _great news_ . . .

The little hedgehog had thought—for a long time—that his two best friends would make a cute couple. Well, okay, it was _more_ than that—they would make a _fantastic_ couple.

Russell had it completely figured out—Sunil's jumpy behavior was balanced out with Vinnie's laid back attitude, while Vinnie's absentminded-ness blended well with the fact that Sunil could be rather snarky when he wanted to be.

In short, they were absolutely _perfect_, and Russell had been spending quite a while hoping they would just open their eyes and realize how _amazing_ they could be.

Russell finally pulled himself back into reality, grinning heartily at the pink monkey before him.

Sunil and Vinnie, alone here, at the pet shop, for two days, two nights. It sounded too good to be true, and maybe it was, but Russell was optimistic.

Maybe this time, luck would be on his side.

~x~x~x~x~x~

"Vinnie."

The lizard shifted uncomfortably, trying to avoid his friend's burning, questioning gaze.

"Vinnie, I'm _serious_."

"I know . . . ," the gecko whined, still not meeting her eyes.

Penny Ling sighed, giving Vinnie a brief look of concern. "It's just . . . I'm worried about you, Vinnie." She glanced to one side, as if someone might be listening. "He's gonna figure out _something's_ wrong sooner or later."

Vinnie frowned. "Nothing's wrong. I'm happy like this."

"You know that's not true."

The pair had found that refuge behind the recliner chair was the perfect place to have a private discussion. The current topic—a certain blue mongoose. A certain blue mongoose who Vinnie had become overly infatuated with.

"Vinnie, I know you're scared, but you might just have to tell him."

Vinnie didn't answer.

"It would be best . . ."

Silence.

"Sunil could never hate you, I promise."

This time, Vinnie spoke. "Yeah, but what if he _does_?"

Penny gave him a gentle smile. "You know that won't happen. _I_ know that won't happen."

Vinnie was quiet once more, staring at one green hand that was resting on one green knee.

"I know that's not what you're afraid of, Vinnie," Penny said softly, leaning down to try and catch the gecko's eye.

"Then what _am_ I afraid of, Penny?" Vinnie grumbled, finally meeting her eyes.

Penny leaned back, clutching her paws to her chest. "Vinnie, I didn't mean—"

"No. _Enlighten _me."

With great hesitation, the panda spoke. "You're afraid things will be really awkward, and things between the two of you will never be the same again!" One paw immediately flew to her mouth as he realized how harsh she had sounded. "Sorry."

Vinnie let his shoulders droop, letting a familiar sense of dread eat him up. "No . . . you . . . you're right."

~x~x~x~x~x~

"Now, for my first trick, I shall need a volunteer."

Vinnie almost groaned. Sunil's magic tricks only went one of two ways—fantastically, or horribly wrong. "Do I have a choice?" he grumbled, but pulled himself to his feet anyways.

"You are the only one here, Vinnie. What else do you expect me to do?"

He tried to hold back a grin, but found that he couldn't. "I dunno. A great magician like you could make an assistant outta thin air."

"_One_, Vinnie; I am not _that_ great," Sunil took a few steps towards a large toy chest, heaving it open. "And secondly, that particular magic trick happens to be quite, eh . . . ," he pulled out his favorite cape, tying it around his neck, "_advanced_."

"Uh-huh," Vinnie murmured, admiring the way his friend browsed through the toy box with an odd sense of care. His movements were a bit hurried, but flowing and, in a way, humble. Vinnie wasn't good at noticing things—at least, not things he was _supposed_ to notice—but he'd always noticed that about Sunil. No matter how exasperated, agitated, or dramatic he got, there was always a sort of shyness about his movements; a hesitation of sorts. Vinnie sort of liked that.

"Alright," Sunil announced, turning to Vinnie as he gingerly placed a top hat onto his own head, "I very much suggest that you prepare to be amazed."

And he was indeed amazed.

~x~x~x~x~x~

Sunil gripped the green hand tightly, trying to identically match his footing to Vinnie's. He shook slightly at the feeling of his friend's hand on his shoulder blade, trying to get used to the feeling of being so close for a prolonged period of time. They had never been uncomfortable with the prospect of touching each other, but Sunil had always been wary to let Vinnie teach him how to dance. How to _ballroom dance_.

Ballroom dancing was for couples, _not___best friends.

"Sunil, you need to stagger yourself."

Sunil's thought bubble broke at last, and he turned his head to meet Vinnie's eyes. "What is it that I am needing to do, exactly?"

Vinnie threw his head back, letting out an irritated groan. "Shift yourself to the right a little, so your feet aren't right in front of mine. Then we won't have to worry about stepping on each other's feet."

Sunil complied, shuffling over to the right a few inches. The hand on his shoulder blade shifted slightly, and Sunil struggled to even out his breathing.

"Okay, now take a step back with your left foot . . ."

This went on for a good half-hour, complete with constant criticism ("No, Sunil, a _one-fifth_ turn!"), occasional compliments ("I'm gonna be honest with you—you're not doing too bad. F-For your first time, at least!"), and a check-in from Blythe ("Oh. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"). Vinnie was just wrapping up the lesson when one small, green foot slipped out of place, and the pair came tumbling down.

It wasn't like Vinnie had never crashed into him before. It wasn't like Vinnie had never fallen _on top_ of Sunil before. No, it had happened before, but not . . .

Not like this.

Usually Vinnie ended up sprawled across his lap, or draped across his back, but this time Vinnie had managed to catch himself before he landed on his stomach. Sunil's back had hit the ground, and now Vinnie's hands were pressed squarely against the ground, on either side of the mongoose's shoulders. Sunil opened his eyes to look up at the gecko, and immediately noticed their faces were a _bit_ too close for comfort. A glance down revealed that Vinnie's legs had landed on either side of Sunil's hips, identical to his hands.

Sunil turned his head to one side, feeling his cheeks burn.

"Well," Vinnie mumbled, his voice resonating throughout the (suddenly very quiet) room. "This is awkward, huh?"

~x~x~x~x~x~

_Fangblade Chaser_. It was supposed to be terrifying—borderline horror in terms of monster movies—but Vinnie just wasn't feeling it. Probably because his mind was elsewhere.

A roar from the television, and Sunil promptly shrieked, latching onto Vinnie's arm. Vinnie had to resist the urge to return the touch, as he was trying to seem caught up in the movie. In reality, he was caught up in his emotions—happy because he was getting to spend _two whole days_ with Sunil, hopeless because every fantasy turned into a nightmare, embarrassed because he _fell on top of Sunil_ (and not in the usual way), and just plain worried because it was hard keeping up this charade.

He wished he could just tell Sunil the truth, but it wasn't that simple. Even _if_ Sunil like him back (and Penny Ling is pretty sure he does), it might not work out. If they had a rough break up, they might stop being friends, and that was a terrifying thought.

He felt himself sweat, and pretended it was because of the movie. Too scary.

Or even worse, Sunil—being Sunil—could be too frightened to even _begin_ a relationship with Vinnie. Even if Sunil liked Vinnie, the mongoose could be afraid of what the others would think, and hide from his feelings. Vinnie didn't want to do that to Sunil. That would just prove how _awful_ this all was.

Another victim down for the count, and Sunil's grip on Vinnie tightened.

"It's just a movie, Sunil . . . ," he whispered, even though he had gotten pretty worked up over these sorts of things before. They _both_ had.

_It's just a confession, Vinnie . . ._

But it wasn't. Vinnie may not have been able to keep both of his feet on the ground, but he could differentiate reality from fantasy.

Though sometimes he wished he couldn't.

~x~x~x~x~x~

Sunil had always imagined Littlest Pet Shop to feel warm and gentle at night—moonlight shining out from the window, with cozy pet beds and dimmed pastel walls.

This . . . wasn't at all like what he had imagined.

The day camp was cold and nearly pitch black, only a few eerie rays of silver moonlight slipping through the window. Speaking of the window, Sunil avoided looking at it, because all he saw outside were the towering silhouettes of skyscrapers, giving the mongoose a looming sense of intimidation.

_Alright, Sunil. This time we are for real. No more late night monster movies._

There was a rustle from a few feet away, and Sunil jumped, making a loud rustling sound of his own.

What was _that_? His mind instantly went haywire. It could be a vampire or Frankenstein or the Fangblade Chaser or—

"You're still _up_, Sunil?"

- or Vinnie. Sunil breathed a sigh of relief. Vinnie was _much_ better than any species of monster. "Shouldn't _I_ be asking _you_ the same?" he said at last, the whisper of his voice shriveling up in the empty air.

But Vinnie still hears him, and he replies with, "I-I can't sleep." There was a distinct pause. "The movie." Vinnie's voice fills the room, yet it never reaches a volume louder than a murmur.

"Oh," Sunil hesitated, because Vinnie didn't _need_ to hear Sunil say he was scared. Vinnie just knew, because he was Vinnie. He wasn't the brightest gecko, but he was nearly a genius when it came to his friends. And honestly, Sunil thought that was much more important than any sort of book smarts.

Wordlessly, a small figure rose from its pet bed and wandered over to Sunil. A glimmer of moonlight hit Vinnie's face, and Sunil read his expression in an instant. Without a sound, Sunil pressed his body against the opposite edge of the pet bed, and the gecko slowly made his way in.

What felt like a single scale brushed against Sunil's fur, and the mongoose reflexively shivered. Not only was Vinnie _freezing_, the slight touch was much more gentle than what Sunil was used to from Vinnie. Vinnie's movements were typically clumsy and fumbled, not soft and relaxing.

Then again, Sunil didn't feel relaxed. Every little hair felt like it was on end, making him feel more restless than ever. He felt his heart drum in his chest, and a wave of something tingling flew through his stomach. He couldn't be _sick_ . . .

"Sunil?"

Sunil flinched, feeling another wave of numbness rush through his stomach. "Wh-what?" he managed to choke out; and it was odd, because he'd never had trouble speaking to Vinnie before.

Something touched Sunil's chest, and it took him a moment to register that it was Vinnie's forehead. Once this fact _did_ register, though, Sunil felt nauseous. His head spun, and suddenly his face was burning red.

Okay, maybe he _was_ sick.

But there was something comforting about their position; and whatever it was, Sunil couldn't say he hated it. He felt as if he'd just eaten four bowls full of kibble, but at the same time he couldn't help but smile a bit. This was . . . nice.

Outside, a car drove by, and Sunil stiffened. Then he felt Vinnie's arms snake around his neck, and he relaxed. (Which was astonishing, because Sunil had always been jumpy. To think that one little motion from one not-typically-bright pet could change that . . . well, it was surprisingly, to say the least.) He was quiet for a moment, before finally deciding to whisper, "I'm scared."

"I know," was all Vinnie said before inching closer. Sunil found himself moving towards his friend as well, and so they met halfway.

And Sunil found he enjoyed halfway more than any other way it could have been.

~x~x~x~x~x~

_Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep._

The smallest of groans escaped Blythe's mouth as she tumbled out of bed. Bringing a hand to her forehead, she tried to ease her headache, reminding herself that she needed a new alarm clock. One that didn't make such an annoying sound, at least. She glanced at the little black box before slamming her hand against the top of it. The electric green letters read six o'clock, on the dot.

_Well, I guess seven hours of sleep will just have to do,_ she thought to herself as he rose from the cold bedroom floor. Making sure she rubbed her eyes and gave her arms a good stretch, she headed over to the dumbwaiter. Gripping the bottom of the window, he hoisted it open and climbed in.

The dumbwaiter wasn't nearly as dusty as it had been the first time she'd gone down it in. She had taken the time to clean it once or twice, making it suitable for traveling down to the first floor. She had even taped a little picture to one side—a photograph of herself holding Zoe and Penny in her lap, all three of them smiling brightly.

Just to remind her what her motivation was.

If there was one thing Blythe was afraid of, it was change. Ever since the accident, she had been trying her best to make sure things stayed exactly the way she wanted them. The move had been a terrifying prospect at first, even more so after meeting singing-and-dancing pets. In hindsight, however, it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. It had just been a little . . . nerve-wracking at first. If there was one thing the whole experience had taught her, it was that not all change was _bad_.

Still, she was paranoid.

The dumbwaiter reached the first floor at last, and Blythe stared at the window with a lingering sense of uncomfortable anticipation. She wanted to see Vinnie and Sunil—she really did—but the prospect of _change_ had overruled all else. What if they were fighting, or ignoring each other, or just flat out _not friends anymore_?

_Oh, please. They're probably still sleeping_, she told herself before heaving the window open.

"Boys?" she said softly as one bare foot hit the floor. The floor of the day-camp was slightly warmer than the floor in her bedroom, and she wondered if it had anything to do with elevation.

There were no answers to her calls, so she took a few steps forward to search for the pair. "Vinnie? Sunil? You guys up?"

Her foot brushed against something cushioned, and she stopped short. She looked down at the ground, and what she saw genuinely took her by surprise.

Vinnie and Sunil were in the same pet bed, sound asleep.

But that wasn't the surprising part. No, the _surprising_ part was how close they were. Blythe had always known the two to be good friends; best friends, probably. They had their disagreements, but they never really _argued_, because they cared for each other too much. (She figured it had happened in the past though, as it would explain their closeness.) But seeing the two of them lying there, wrapped up in each other's arms . . . well, it added another element to their relationship entirely.

So she had underestimated their closeness. Okay.

And . . . and things were changing. Maybe not okay.

But something in her gut told her it was for the better.

~x~x~x~x~x~

Sunlight. Vinnie blinked once; twice. Then he shut his eyes tight and groaned, pressing his cheek against the soft blue fur of Sunil's chest.

Wait a minute.

_What._

Had he—?

He had.

Vinnie inhaled sharply, taking the situation with a sudden crystal clarity. He thought back to last night—had he climbed into the pet bed with Sunil? He was pretty sure he had. He didn't remember saying anything he would have regretted, and even if he had, Sunil seemed to be sleeping pretty soundly. He wasn't trashing about, or looking like he was having any sort of nightmares . . .

Oh, _right_. That was why Vinnie had joined him. The movie. Typical of Sunil to be so frightened by a silly monster movie; to let his imagination get the better of him . . .

_("The howl is coming from __**inside**__ the pet shop!")_

Vinnie was still trying to forget about that particular incident. It was more than just how _paranoid_ and untrusting they had become (besides, as it turned out, it was just Blythe's dad making a fool of himself), it was how _touchy-feely_ he had let himself get. With _Sunil_. He typically tried to avoid too much contact with the mongoose, out of fear that he would want more. But as panic had taken over, things had gotten . . . out of hand, and before he knew it, he couldn't take his hands off of Sunil.

His _best friend_.

Gosh, what was wrong with him?

Sunil shifted in his sleep a little, and Vinnie froze. He didn't move a muscle; which was a problem, considering his eyes were still wide open. But he couldn't bring himself to close them; couldn't avert his eyes from the calm, sleeping, mongoose.

Maybe one day Vinnie would tell Sunil the truth about what he felt for him, but now wasn't the time; today wasn't the day. He would rather stay best friends than former best friends ruined by a simple "I love you."

Sunil's eyes fluttered open, and he looked at the gecko in his arms with mild surprise.

"Uh, morning . . . ," was all Vinnie was able to say before Sunil pushed him away, a look somewhere in-between embarrassment and anxiety taking over his face.

"I am very sorry, Vinnie! I am aware of how you dislike the touching."

And yet he had no idea.

~x~x~x~x~x~

Just as he hadn't expected Littlest Pet Shop's night to be so frightening, Sunil had never expected Littlest Pet Shop's early-morning opening to be so . . . calm. It was so much simpler than he had thought it was—Mrs. Twombly unlocked the shop, strolled in, and waited for customers to arrive. Sunil had always thought there was more to it than that, but there . . . wasn't. It was almost startling how clear-cut it was.

And sure enough, customers did arrive. A few regulars stopped by to browse through Blythe's new designs, and a few unfamiliar faces looked around as well. Youngmee even stopped by, explaining something to Blythe with exuberant eagerness.

And at nine o'clock, on the dot, Russell was ushered into the pet shop by his owner. Right on time, as usual. Russell's owner escorted him in before waving goodbye to Mrs. Twombly and heading off to work, as usual.

Sunil swore nothing ever changed around here.

That is, he _did_ until he was suddenly forced onto the ground head-first my an overly-excited hedgehog. Sunil craned his head up to stare at Russell, who was sitting on the mongoose's stomach with an uncharacteristic grin on his face.

"R-_Russell_?!" It was honestly hard to believe the pet he was looking at was the normally uptight and persnickety hedgehog. The last time he had seen Russell looking this happy was . . .

Oh, _no_ . . .

"Russell, you are not attempting to be 'fun' again, are you not? You and I _both_ recall how _that_ turned out."

Russell looked appalled for a moment, "What? _No!_", before letting his grin return in full. "I was just wondering if you had fun with Vinnie yesterday." His smile grew, and now Sunil could see two perfect rows of white teeth, complete with one flawlessly pointed fang. Russell had always been a perfectionist.

"We . . . had much fun, I assure you—"

"Really?"

"Y-_yes_, really! Now, Russell, if you would please kindly—"

"What did the two of you do?" Russell said, not moving a single inch off of Sunil.

"Why is it that you are so interested?"

Russell's eyes narrowed, his mouth suddenly forming into a little scowl. "I'm not!"

"Are you sure, because you seem quite invested in thi—"

"I'm _not_!" Russell insisted, and finally he released Sunil from their uncomfortable position. "I'm just . . . ," he glanced up at the ceiling, "_curious_!"

Sunil could sit up straight at last, and he frowned, brushing a few bright orange hairs off of his belly. "Well," he said with great hesitation—he had never seen Russell act like this—"I suppose if you just happen to be _curious_ . . . What is it that you must know, if I were to ask?"

The hedgehog clasped both hands to his chest, green eyes shining. "Absolutely _everything_."

~x~x~x~x~x~

Penny Ling nearly choked on her bamboo, spewing a hearty amount of crumbs in Vinnie's face. Vinnie grunted, wiping the tiny, wet chunks off of his cheeks.

"What do you _mean_ you didn't tell him?"

"I-I dunno. I just . . . didn't."

Desperately, Penny gripped her ears, pulling them down against the top of her head. "But why _not_? You had the perfect chance!"

"It's not that easy, really!"

"Like _hell_ it isn't," Penny muttered, taking another big bite of bamboo. Vinnie had to hold back a gasp, because Penny _never_ swore. In general, the pets hardly cursed, but Vinnie had never heard a foul word come out of Penny Ling's mouth. Reading Vinnie's expression, Penny swallowed her bamboo before passionately continuing. "You heard me! You _know_ what the problem is, Vinnie, and it's _not_ out of your control!"

"But, Penn—"

"No, Vinnie! I think it's about time you _do_ something about this, instead of just sitting by the sidelines, hoping Sunil will notice you!"

Vinnie felt something cold pound against his chest. "You said he _did_ notice me . . ."

"And he _does_! But you know Sunil! If you don't make the first move, who will?"

Unfortunately, Vinnie knew the answer to such a question, even if he didn't want to admit it. At his core, Sunil was a hopeless coward with no belief in himself, and chances are he would stay that way. There was nothing they could do to change it; Vinnie just accepted him as he was and loved him through it. In fact, he loved that part of Sunil as much as he did every other. Hopeless cowardice was one of Sunil's defining traits, and Vinnie wasn't sure he could imagine him without it. Still, it would be a lie to say that it wasn't a problem.

He looked from Penny Ling, to the day-camp's banana-yellow floor, to the world outside of their little hideout behind the sofa. Finally he looked back to Penny, trying not to cry.

"I _can't_."

~x~x~x~x~x~

Sunil loved monster movies—he really did—but sometimes he felt like he shouldn't. Okay, a lot of times. Sunil was already jumpy as is, and the movies didn't help. But there was something about the movies that made him keep coming back. Sure, the movies terrified him, but they gave him a thrill nothing else could match.

Besides, even _if_ the movie got to be too much for him, he always had Vinnie there to comfort him. If he ever shrieked, or began hyperventilating (which happened much more often than you would think), Vinnie was always there to give him comforting words or a quick hug. Sunil knew he could count on Vinnie for this sort of stuff, because that was just the kind of friend Vinnie was. He was always ready and willing to make sure someone was alright, and if they weren't, he wouldn't leave their side until he was sure they were fine.

Maybe that's why he spent so much time with Sunil. The mongoose was such an anxious, hopeless _mess_ that someone had to stay by his side to make sure he didn't just . . . give up on himself.

The monster makes its first move, and Sunil's posture tightens. One beat; two beats; and Vinnie's hand is gripping his.

And Sunil was really thankful for Vinnie's being around. Sunil was already a pessimist and a coward, so without Vinnie . . .

Well, who knows how miserable he would be?

Sure, Vinnie wasn't the _only_ light in Sunil's light, but he was the first. Before Vinnie befriended him, Sunil had been desperately shy, refusing to take a single step near other pets. It had taken Vinnie a week (a very _eventful_ week, mind you) to befriend Sunil, and Sunil had been a much happier pet ever since. He had made lots of friends, and made dozens of good memories, just because Vinnie refused to give up on him.

And that was why Vinnie was so close to Sunil—why they shared the strongest bond in the pet shop. Throughout it all, Vinnie didn't just accept Sunil's flaws, he _enjoyed_ them, and Sunil felt the same about Vinnie. He understood why the others got irritated with Vinnie—and to be honest, he had those moments, too—but those moments were overshadowed by just how much he _liked_ being with the stupid little gecko.

In fact, he didn't think the word "like" did it justice. He absolutely _adored_ spending time with Vinnie. He looked forward to it nearly every day, and when he went to bed he would often dream of what they might do tomorrow. He loved every little moment he spent with Vinnie. Sure, they had their disagreements, but Sunil couldn't imagine life without him.

And then it hit him. He didn't love the time he spends with Vinnie, or every little moment they spent together.

He loved _Vinnie_.

It just all made sense; he didn't even need to explain it to himself. The evidence was there, and it always had been, so why hadn't he _noticed_?

He loved him, he loved him, he _loved him_.

"Sunil, you okay?"

Sunil looked at him, but he didn't really see him through his own spinning head and pounding heart.

"I mean, you just got really quiet all of a sudden. I mean, usually you're more, I dunno . . . livel—"

That was as far as Vinnie got before Sunil leaned forward, hurriedly pressing their lips together. And there were no fireworks, and it certainly wasn't perfect; but just the fact that what was happening was _real_ and he was experiencing it made Sunil's stomach turn.

But . . . in a good way.

Until, of course, he realized just what he was doing. Then he felt like he was going to throw up. Pulling away as quickly as possible, Sunil felt himself start to sweat, and before he knew it, words were spewing out of his mouth in record speed. "I am _so_ sorry Vinnie! I am not at all sure what was going through my head at that time and I very much promise it will never happen again! I would completely understand if you did not wish to be friends any longer; my behavior was completely foolish and I apologize again it's just that I may or may not _really_ like you. Actually, I _do_ really like you—l-_love_ you, actually—but I am not very good at showing my feelings. I did not mean to scare you, or gross you out in any way. I am very, _very_ much sorry!" Sunil ducked his head down, pulling his knees to his chest.

There was silence. Absolute silence. Had Vinnie paused the movie? Sunil wanted to check, but he kept his head down.

"S-Sunil."

He finally looked to his friend, only to notice that Vinnie was staring at him with a very odd grin on his face.

"I-I . . . ," Vinnie regained his composure and took a deep breath. "Dude, I swing that way."

Sunil blinked, replaying the sentence in his head. "You swing _what_ way, exactly?"

Vinnie gave him a quick look of exasperation, but his grin never fully faded. "I'm _gay_, Sunil." There was a pause. "And I love you, too."

Instantly Sunil felt his face burn. "Oh."

There was silence until Vinnie said, "So . . . how long have you . . . y'know . . . loved me? Just wondering!"

Sunil chuckled. Vinnie was always a little more nervous about everything than he liked to let on. "A . . . a long time, I think. But I did not figure it out until today."

"_Today?_" Vinnie echoed, eyes wide.

Sunil nodded.

"Oh . . . wow." Vinnie's gaze lowered to the ground. "I've known I loved you for . . . ," he stopped to think about it, "a _long_ time."

"R-really?"

"Y-yeah . . . really. I-I mean, it's just . . . you've always been there for me, and I . . . I know I can be a jerk sometimes, but you never let it _get_ to you. And, yeah, you get annoyed sometimes, but you never leave, or tell me I'm being a total idiot. I don't have to worry about that stuff with you, 'cause you don't really care."

"I care about _you_," Sunil said without thinking.

"I . . . I know."

And there was silence once more, but this time it was a comfortable silence, because Vinnie leaned in, and Sunil met him halfway again. In the back of his mind, a little pessimist told Sunil that this was it—as good as it gets. But for once that little pessimist sounded pretty optimistic.

From behind the boys, there was a loud clang.

"What the _what_?"

Vinnie and Sunil jumped apart almost instantly, because there, in the back of the day-camp, sat Blythe, in the dumbwaiter, with the most confused and shocked expression either pet had ever seen her wear.

And this time the silence was certainly _not_ comfortable.


End file.
